New, clean internal combustion engines operate more efficiently than older ones that have accrued deposits of carbonized soil in the cylinder areas. They also produce less pollutant gases in the form of tailpipe emissions.
Functional problems of older engines have resulted in the use of highly refined gasoline/alcohol mixtures, detergent gasolines, computerized fuel injection systems, and in the marketing of engine injector solutions designed to solubilize offending carboniferous deposits. To combat pollution problems, costly catalytic converter equipment has been employed in a few countries. However, worsening smog conditions and related air pollution problems in metropolitan areas attest to the fact that these approaches are not entirely effective.
For many years there has been a search for engine additives that, when injected directly into the upper cylinder areas, would exert a profound cleaning effect and thus serve to remove carbonized varnishes and sludge deposits that form on spark plugs, fuel orifices, intake values, fuel injectors and cylinder walls. As these deposits inhibit the optimum burning of fuel, mile-per-gallon efficiency is reduced. Additionally, such deposits promote the generation of unburned hydrocarbons and partially burned pyrolysis products during combustion of gasolines and diesel fuels. These pyrolysis products include partially burned hydrocarbons (aliphatics, cyclics and aromatics), polycyclic alcohols, aldehydes and acids (sometimes carcinogenic), oxygenated hydrocarbons of other types, and poisonous carbon monoxide gas. These effluents are further oxidized by the catalytic converter, but significant amounts can escape, posing serious environmental hazards to humans, animals and crops. Environmental Protection Agency regulations under the Federal Clean Air Act have imposed severe limitations on airborne concentrations of these vapors and particulates. At this time, at least seventy counties and air quality management districts cannot comply with Federal regulations.
Tailpipe vapors chemically react with airborne nitrogen (II) oxide and indirectly cause the formation of excessive levels of tropospheric or ground-level ozone. Ozone is a strong irritant and possible proto-carcinogen that is directly implicated in smog formation.
A large number of tests have been made on automotive engines to determine such attributes as:
a. Dynamic firing voltages (kV).
b. Specific exhaust gas concentrations (upstream from the catalytic converter) including:
i. Unburned hydrocarbon vapors (ppm). PA1 ii. Carbon monoxide gas (ppm). PA1 iii. Oxygen gas (ppm). PA1 iv. Carbon dioxide gas (ppm).
c. Minimum smooth idling speed (rpm).
d. Increase in idling speed due to treatment (rpm).
e. Engine smoothness at idling speed due to treatment. (Substantive)
f. Degree of spark plug cleaning--by observation.
g. Reliability of the CSPIT (Cold Spark Plug Immersion Test), as a predictive test method.
Tests results show that the CSPIT is a reliable predictive assay, removing about 90 per cent as much spark plug contaminants as are removed in the same time period by what is termed "The Hot Engine Cleaning Test" (HECT).
The cleaning ability and emission reduction properties of the subject compositions have been evaluated with those of other commercially available cleaners. They are significantly better. Although commercially available products make claims of improved engine performance and prolong the service life of catalytic converters, in fact they demonstrate very limited benefits. Consequently, the present market for the prior art products is small and static.